Frequently asked questions

General
Issues > Eastern Astrology

Why
don't you offer Eastern types of astrology?

Astrodienst stands in the Western tradition of astrology.
We are aware of the fact that in other parts of the world,
there are great astrological traditions that differ from
ours and are just as valid. The technical, philosophical
and cultural differences in astrology vary hugely, depending
on where the art is practised.

We have specialised in the Western kind of astrology, and
even here there are techniques that we cannot offer. It
would be impossible to provide in-depth information on
all the different kinds of astrology, be it Vedic, Hindu,
Joytish
or Chinese - and there are many more ... But there are
plenty of Indian or Chinese astrology websites, full of
interesting
offers based on their respective tradition.

Why
do I have a different sun sign in Indian astrology?

The systems of astrology as practised in India and in the
West are quite different. This accounts probably for this
difference.
Hindu astrology uses a fixed star based zodiac which was
taken over from the Greeks in the Hellenistic times, when
Hindu astrology had its main formative period.
Since then, the spring equinoctial point has moved by nearly
a sign, and western astrology, which uses the tropical coordinate
system of modern astronomy, has shifted its sun-signs accordingly
(see also: Precession
and Zodiac). Hindu astrology however sticks to a zodiac
of 2000 years back in time. It has developed different traditions
of knowledge, also in many other respects.
Under Free Horoscopes -> Extended
Chart Selection, there are options for specialists which
allow you to compute a chart also with the Hindu-style zodiac.